1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a transferring medium manufacturing method and a transferring medium. In particular, the invention relates to a transferring medium that can transfer a pattern formed over a base material to a target and a method for manufacturing such a transferring medium.
2. Related Art
A transferring medium that can transfer a pattern such as a character, an image, or the like that is formed over a sheet (base material) to a target is known. The known transferring medium transfers, to the target, the pattern formed by applying ink (recording material) to the sheet. The transferable pattern is coated with adhesive agent (non-recording material). When the pattern formed over the sheet is transferred from the transferring medium to the target, it adheres to the target due to the functioning of the adhesive agent. As the pattern comes off the sheet, it is transferred onto the target.
If the adhesive agent is present not only on the pattern but also at some area other than the area of the pattern over the sheet of the transferring medium, when the pattern formed over the sheet is transferred from the transferring medium to the target, the adhesive agent will be applied not only to an area of the target that corresponds to the area of the pattern but also to some area of the target other than the area of the pattern. Therefore, there is a problem in that the target becomes sticky.
To overcome the above problem, in some transferring media, for example, one disclosed in JP-A-7-314879, adhesive agent is locally applied onto a pattern over a sheet. Specifically, a printing plate is used in the manufacturing of the transferring medium disclosed in JP-A-7-314879. Ink is ejected toward the sheet to form the pattern by using the printing plate. In addition, the printing plate is used to apply the adhesive agent to a limited area, that is, onto the pattern only.
However, the above method of related art in which the printing plate is used to locally apply the adhesive agent onto the pattern, manufacturing cost is comparatively high when the quantity of transferring media manufactured is small. As a method for reducing manufacturing cost when the quantity of transferring media manufactured is small, it is conceivable to locally eject adhesive liquid from nozzles onto a pattern over a sheet.
However, since adhesive liquid has high fluidity, even when the adhesive liquid is ejected onto the area of the pattern only, it could flow on the pattern. For this reason, there is a risk that the adhesive liquid ejected onto the area of the pattern overflows to the outside of the area of the pattern over the sheet.